LGALS3 and hepatocellular carcinoma: Remarkably, our previous studies of Mdr2-KO mice [15] demonstrated that chronic liver disease at an early precancerous stage in this HCC model shares many features characteristic of chronic HCV infection and HCV-induced cirrhosis in patients: hepatocyte G1 arrest and up-regulation of genes Mcm2 [30], Cxcl9, Lgals3, Iqgap1, Lum, Col6a3, Igfbp7, Vim, Ablim, Mpp1 [31], Igfbp1, Itgb1, Jun, Ctgf [32].